Disposable International Travel Phones

There has been plenty of commotion regarding traveling with your cell phone when going overseas. Last week the Los Angeles Times wrote an article entitled, “Is it legal for officials to search your phone when you’re traveling?” and in today’s British publication The Independent, today’s article is entitled, “Britain to follow US with ban on electronic devices on flights from Muslim countries in Middle East”>. Cellular Abroad specializes in providing international travelers with information and solutions for international cellular and data products. We do not specialize in interpreting the law and this is certainly not a political blog. But, what we can do is tell you about a solution that many travelers are embracing.

Traveling and cell phone privacy is a hot issue. We know that by talking with our customers. The most common complaints are that they do not want to be unnecessarily detained for an hour while traveling and second, they may have private photos of…um…their significant other. And of course, traveling without a phone is not a viable solution for 99% of travelers since they rely on staying in contact with their office or family back home plus they rely on apps such as Google Maps. What some travelers are doing is purchasing a pay as you go cell phone, also referred to as a “disposable” phone for their trip. Indeed, if you are concerned about traveling with a phone you literally can get a phone for under $100 for your trip, including several hours of call time, and then, chances are, if and when a custom’s agent stops you, they could check the phone out in a matter of minutes. Or, if you do not want to take the chance of being stopped in the first place, you can ditch the phone before you board.

According to some sources, the bigger the phone or the electronic device, the better chance you will be stopped. The larger the phone is, the greater the chance that it can conceal explosives. In addition, many smartphones are basically mini computers and plenty of information can potentially be stored and transferred in these devices. A small, simple phone, while lacking the power of an expensive smartphone, may be just what you need to stay in touch during your trip – and staying out of custom’s office when you return.